Program Reflects On Black Life In America

EAST HARLEM – Boys & Girls Harbor will present “Our Stories, Our Voices 2011” a program of music, dance and theater performed by Harbor students on February 28, 2011, at 6:00 pm in celebration of Black History with notable honoree Terrie Williams and special guests. Serving as the evening’s host is news anchor David Ushery, Anchor, WNBC News 4.

Inspired by heroes of the past, by teachers and leaders of the present, and by their own dreams of the future, students will rejoice in the triumphs of the African American experience. The event will be held in the Teatro Heckscher 6:00 pm.

Terrie M. Williams, one of Ebony magazine’s “Power 150” for Activism and Woman’s Day magazine “50 Women On A Mission To Change The World,” is an advocate for change and empowerment. She has utilized her influence and communications expertise for more than 30 years to educate and engage audiences in causes that affect the community, the nation and the world. Terrie Williams is an author and Founder of The Terrie M. Williams Agency and Stay Strong Foundation.

David Ushery serves as Anchor for the weekend edition of “News 4 New York” and is host of “The Debrief with David Ushery” on New York Nonstop. Ushery joined WNBC in 2003 from WABC-TV where he held various anchoring and reporting positions during his eleven-year tenure including primary fill-in anchor on the station’s evening newscasts, as well as full-time anchor of the early morning and noon editions of “Eyewitness News.” Ushery is the recipient of a National Association of Black Journalists Award for his series of reports on children and violence and has also been honored by the Israeli Consulate for his dedicated reporting and commitment to the community. Ushery has volunteered at St. Charles Borromeo in Harlem and has also volunteered as a tutor for local pre-teen students.

“Our Stories, Our Voices” is a historical reflection of African American life in America . Through the eyes of school children, this 50-minute performance piece traces the journey of heroes and every day people through time and pivotal historic moments. Incorporating music, dance and theater, the performance showcases the talents of Boys & Girls Harbor students and will feature the renowned GESTURES Dance Ensemble as they represent the historic, creative and human spirit that helped define the accomplishments of African Americans.

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS HARBOR
The history of Boys & Girls Harbor flows directly from the best and noblest elements of American culture. During the mid 1930’s, Anthony Drexel Duke and a few prep school friends took jobs at a camp for disadvantaged and delinquent immigrant boys. Despite his own personal privilege, Tony Duke was a young man unable to ignore social inequity as the nation struggled through the great depression. In 1937 Mr. Duke established his own camp, running during college summer breaks. In 1941 the threat of impending war temporarily stopped the camp, but after the war, and after some of Mr. Duke’s fellow founders lost their lives, he began again to build the Harbor.

Today, under the direction of Dr. Thomas Howard, ED.D, more than 1,200 children and young people benefit from the Harbor’s nationally accredited Early Childhood Education programs; our affiliated Harbor Science and Arts Charter for elementary and middle-school students; the Emily N. Carey Harbor High School; the renowned Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts and the Raices Latin Music Museum; after-school and summer enrichment programs; college preparation services; and counseling and social/emotional services and referrals. Our comprehensive services offer children from East and Central Harlem and the Bronx access to quality education so desperately needed in these at-risk communities.

The educational enrichment the children gain during their time at the Harbor is vital to their future success, as are the core values that are instilled in them. Through every academic lesson, every music or dance class, or trip to camp, the students are taught to have hope, to believe and to be responsible. Each child learns to believe in himself, to have faith that there is success ahead, and to have a sense of responsibility for himself and for his community. Boys & Girls Harbor gives its graduates not only academic skills but the emotional and spiritual strength they will need to overcome the barriers they are sure to encounter on the way to their dreams.